🧵 "Stop Being A Bot!"
My oldest niece is visiting me this week. She’s 16, juggling a full AP course load, college apps, and multiple sports — and she’s already in conversations with college recruiters for rowing (wild, right?) To me, she’s still a little kid! But she's actually not. She already has her driver's license in had, and is ready to chase her future.
She asked me to help her prep for a conversation with a college recruiter, and I got goosebumps. I role-played as the interviewer and asked, “How’s your summer going?” She looked at me, fidgeted a bit, and embarrassingly answered:
"It’s been super busy, I’ve been rowing here and and rowing there and training for the upcoming rowing season..."
Next question: “Why are you interested in the rowing program at this school?”
“I love rowing because I'm really good at it...I’m super committed to rowing!”
I couldn’t help it. I teased her the way she teases me: “Don't be a bot!!! You have a whole personality!”
🧠 Inside This Issue
If you’re new here, 👋🏽 welcome!
This newsletter lives at the intersection of storytelling, leadership, and what it means to be a complex human with something real to say. I write about the things most people avoid in professional spaces: messy identity shifts, the impacts of politics, and the hard, human work of building something honest in public. Through my work, I help founders, creatives, and execs own their story and lead with resonance.
This week → Storytelling advice I gave a teenager (that most execs still need).
💬 How We Turned Her Script Into A Story
Through a series of gentle questions, I nudged her to drop the resume voice and stop listing accomplishments. Slowly, we started uncovering who she actually is.
We talked about her being the oldest of four siblings, her love of giving hot takes on movies and convincing people to watch them, how she talks a lot, and how she’s always trying new things.
Then we turned those real, specific things into answers that sounded like her.
We bridged the gap between "movie hot takes" and leadership — showing how she likes to influence people, make decisions, and lead with confidence at her rowing club.
👀 The Secret To A Good Story
We think we need to convince people of our value. That if we check the boxes, hit the beats, and sound “polished,” we’ll get the yes.
The storytelling truth I shared with her: people connect to texture, not perfection. They want to know that maybe you hated something at first. That you worked hard to get good, and to get to where you are. That you used to feel awkward doing the thing you now love. People love an underdog!
✨ Your Story Is Your Leverage
Just like my niece, I’ve had multiple people on discovery calls tell me they’re unclear how to talk about themselves — on their website, in a deck, in a new role, at an interview, in an investor meeting. They’re tired of their own bios. They feel like the way they talk about their work is holding them back more than the work itself.
I feel this way too! I show up here every week...and I wonder if y'all even care about what I have to say. (But hello, 60%+ open rates, thank y'all!) But I overcome that feeling by pinpointing a story from my week. A story you can't find somewhere else because it's coming from my life that I'm living. A story AI can't generate about my life (yet...).
Which brings me to: Messaging around your story is leverage. My niece literally said:
"Oh wow, this is so much more fun now that I'm not just saying what I think they want me to say..."
That’s it. That’s the shift. That’s what I help people do — reclaim your voice and own your narrative.
I help people stop “performing” your value and start embodying it. Whether you’re 16… or 46… whether you’re pitching to a college recruiter or stepping into a new leadership role or prepping to ask for $500K in funding — the way you tell your story changes how the world receives you. The way you tell your story opens doors for you...or keeps them closed.
💬 Question Of The Week:
What’s one “perfect” answer you give when meeting someone new… and how could you give it more texture? (Reminder: no trauma dumping!)
📣 Work With Me
If your answer made you cringe a little (or if you’re ready to upgrade it), here’s how I can help:
→ Power Sessions: $450 / 90 min. Perfect for a story reboot, visibility strategy, or high-stakes messaging moment. (Only 2 left this week.)
→ Fall Workshops: I run 1.5 to 3 hr sessions for orgs on: narrative clarity, visibility for rising leaders, and resilience in leadership. Have an org in mind? Let’s talk.
→ 1:1 Coaching Package: 2 August spots left — designed for mission-driven founders, creatives, or execs navigating a pivot or visibility leap.
🗓 Book a call or reply to this email for a free consult to decide which path is best.
💡 From My Desk
I can’t stop thinking about how good my niece was — once she relaxed. Once she let go of trying to sound right and just was herself. It’s not about talking more. It’s about using your words more meaningfully. 💭 Should I start doing storytelling workshops for high school students?!
🥨 Snacks:
I had to really resist making this whole newsletter about Gaza. It's taking up 99.9% of my brain space these days. Here's what I've been tuning into, Palestine and otherwise:
🍉 Palestine: Israel has manufactured a famine in Gaza. Palestinians are dying of severe malnutrition, and we are watching it all happen on social media.
😭 Climate Change: Gaza is a climate change issue as much as it is a humanitarian one. Clearing Gaza rubble could create 90,000 tonnes of planet-heating emissions.
✨ Palette Cleanser: Are you...overdressed around your friends?
